April 21, 2010

New Addition to My Setup: Akai LPK25

This week I purchased an Akai LPK25 midi-keyboard controller to accompany my portable audio set up. I was using my Kurzweil K2000 as my midi controller, which works great but doesn't fit in a laptop bag too well ;-) I also wanted to find something nice and small for live shows. Gone are the days of me dragging 6 synthesizers to the club for a show... eesh.

So far I like the LPK25. It's small and feels pretty sturdy. All I had to do was plug the usb cable in and kick up Ableton Live and it just worked, which was nice. It also comes with an app that allows you to edit the keymapping.

The LPK25 has velocity sensitive keys and buttons for switching octaves, and programs as well as an arpeggiator function. I use this in conjunction with my Korg NanoKontrol and my Boss DR-660 which I use as a drum controller. I'm hoping to add a Novation Launchpad to the mix at some point soon.

Probably the most impressive feature of the keyboard is the built in arpeggiator. No it doesn't trigger an arpeggiator in your DAW it is an arpeggiator, which is a great instant gratification feature when playing live or composing. There is an arpeggio start button & tap tempo button. You can also set rate and order on the fly.

Perhaps my only complaint is that the feel of the keys are kind of sponge-y and the velocity seems to drop off abruptly, meaning sometimes when you hit the keys very softly they don't trigger anything, however it hasn't been a big issue so far. The keys are small, so if you have big hands this may not be the keyboard for you. I have small fingers, so I don't have a problem. The keyboard also, doesn't come with a manual, but you can download one here.

I've yet to put this puppy through the ringer but so far in my studio this little guy works great. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a portable solution for their keyboard controller.

Comments

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I bought one of these a few months back to replace my Korg nanoKeys. My nanoKeys fell and the USB snapped off :^O. I agree the keys are a bit spongy, but I feel it's a lot more playable than the Korg. Using it quite a bit actually.

Launchad is fantastic by the way! There are some free tools that let you run it as a full on Monome as well.

Yeah I have heard nothing but sad stories about the Korg NanoKey which is too bad. I'm glad to hear the LPK25 is treating you well I hope to be able to keep mine around for awhile. I have found myself using mine alot too... its great when tweaking patches or playing bass or lead lines... I'm diggin' it. I saw the tool that lets you turn the launchpad in a Monome. That looks pretty intriguing. Have you tried it out? Can't wait to get mine, maybe in a month or so :)

The LPD-8 doesn't replace a nanoKontrol or nanoPad, but is handy when I don't need a X-Y pad, or a bunch of faders and want to carry only two small controllers instead of three. Also, the build quality of Akai seems more sturdier than Korg.

I predict that Novation will enter this niche soon with one controller with a 25 key bed, small pads, knobs, and a touch ribbon.